Family Fun in Iowa!

This weekend we took a trip up to Iowa to visit my side of the family and had a wonderful time!! Eli had a number of firsts while in Iowa along with eating some yummy unhealthy food and staying up past his bedtime :) Eli enjoyed himself thoroughly (except for all the driving we did-he isn't used to getting in and out of the car multiple times a day!) and so did his mommy & daddy!

We drove up Friday afternoon and debated about having him nap in the car or be freshly napped before the trip. Sometimes he does well and naps in the car but other times he seems to fight it and just be crabby and cry. So, we decided to give it a try and he did really well! He napped over half the way there and on the way home today. Road trips are so much easier with a napping toddler! When we arrived, we ordered in pizza (unhealthy food number #1 :) and after dinner played with sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Here is Aunt Stephanie coloring with Eli:

Eli also enjoyed running up and down the sloped driveways over and over and OVER again (Aunt Stephanie is quite the trooper :):

One of Eli's firsts was seeing real live ducks!! We read about ducks and see them on t.v., but he had never seen them in person. He was so excited to see them but unfortunately, the ducks didn't share his social skills:

Aunt Sarah and Aunt Stephanie helped Eli walk a little faster:

That evening Eli enjoyed his first bath in Aunt Holly & Uncle Chris' bath tub in their newly remodeled master bath:

The next morning, we went to the house on "Plum Drive" where my family lived my middle school years onward. My dad is selling the house to Aunt Sarah & Aunt Stephanie but the house needs a lot of cleaning out of "stuff". There are many, many, MANY years of "stuff" that has to be gone through but once done, it will be a wonderful home for Sarah & Stephanie and their future family! We brought back to KC a rocking chair for Eli and we found our old tricycle that all of us used to ride when we were not much older than Eli. It was a little dusty and squeaky with some loose screws, but here he is taking it out for a spin with Aunt Sarah:

After lunch and a nap, Aunt Holly & Aunt Sarah went with us to the local park:

There Eli enjoyed his first tire swing ride with both of his aunts:

And he tried to climb the equipment like a big boy:

When living in the "Plum Drive" house, my sisters and I used to love to take bike rides to the pond and ride through a tunnel that goes under a busy road. It was so fun to reminisce about this and have Eli walk through the same tunnel (his first time in a tunnel). He really enjoyed the echo!!:

And the first time walking over a bridge:

After the park and walk, we headed back to Aunt "Hawee's" house and hung out there while daddy, Uncle Chris, and Grandpa Bidney went golfing. Later we met up with everyone at the golf country club bar & grill for dinner. Here Eli continued his unhealthy eating and had grilled cheese and fries which he LOVED. He also took multiple walks out on the deck with mommy and daddy. He did really well as we were there for about 2 hours and didn't melt down once! He did enjoy walking around and saying "hi" to everyone which helped keep him entertained. Here he is giving "papa" a big hug:

And clowning around with Aunt Stephanie (what's funny about this is that he started doing this face this week randomly by himself....not sure where he learned it!!):

This morning, we headed over to Grandpa & Lola's house that is in process of being remodeled. It's a beautiful house out in the country that has been in Lola's family for a very long time. The remodeling is going great and once finished, the house will be amazingly beautiful. Here are some pictures of the house:

View of the soon to be updated swimming pool and beautiful view of the Iowa countryside:


Side/back view:


The entire upstairs is a beautiful master suite with large windows:

Eli enjoyed exploring the master suite walk in shower:


As a wedding gift, we bought my dad & Roberta a life ring with the name of their boat that is currently in Belize. Here is Eli expressing his love for sailing:

Grandpa Bidney & Lola have 3 dogs. They are 3 very different dogs in almost every way except they are all very loving. Don't ask me to tell you the breeds (except for Gus, who was our dog growing up who is a Golden Retriever) but Turbo is probably the largest do EVER!! He is MUCH taller than Eli (just on all 4's) and slobbers like crazy. Here he is being held back by Lola:

And Eli watching Turbo run around:

This tire was part of a sand box that Roberta's son, Alex, used to play in a lot. While playing today Eric found an old match car that used to be Alex's:

Gus, Turbo & Eli:

Lily is a breed that naturally has the instinct to herd. She spent most of her time "herding" Eli which resulted in a lot of licking and head nudges. Eli liked it most of the time but would start to fuss if she became too domineering:

After visiting the house, we took Eli out to Grandpa & Lola's boat for Eli's first sail!!

Children are required to wear life jackets so Grandpa bought one for Eli and at first, he wasn't too excited about it. It's a little big but overall fits well:

Eli is so accustomed to being able to "roam free" that being confined on a boat was a little unnerving for him at first, but once we got out in the water, he did better. But, he had to be attached to his mama to feel completely safe. It was too cute as he just stood next to me with his arm around me and played with my hair:

After a little puttering around the lake (his first time we didn't actually sail) we headed back to Aunt Holly & Uncle Chris'. Eli feel asleep on the way there and so we quickly packed and left so he could continue his nap in the car. On the way home, we stopped to get gas and decided to have some Dairy Queen where Eli had his first ice cream all by himself. He loved spooning the ice cream by himself and said "hmmm!!" after every bite. I didn't get pictures as I left the camera in the car, but he really did enjoy himself :)

Now we are back home and are happy to be back. Thanks to Aunt Holly & Uncle Chris for the hospitality! It was great to see everyone and we'll see you all Memorial Day weekend!! Hope everyone has a great week!